First time on this forum. I don't own a Fit yet but have driven a few and really like their handling. And yesterday some friends of mine offered me a free Honda Fit! The problem is they are two hours away and at the moment it's not drive-able. I have the engine out of my truck right now so unfortunately trailering the Fit is not an option. If we can figured out what the issue is I'll bring some tools and parts with me and try to fix it at their house. Like the title says it's the automatic transmission and it wouldn't go above 40 or 45mph and would have trouble making it up hills. Most recently they said they were having trouble moving it at all. Unfortunately I don't know many other details as I'm just going off what they described in their texts. They only other issue I know of is there's some kind of parasitic draw that causes the battery to die when parked for a while. Any transmission issues common to the Fit that could match these issues? I'd like to manual swap it eventually so if you think the auto transmission is beyond repair that might be a good option. Have any of you done that before? Obviously I would a need standard transmission, shifter and shift cables, pedal assembly with clutch, and probably an ecu from a manual Fit? Are the motor mounts and axles interchangeable between manual and auto trans? Thanks for you help!

Somehow I'll find a way to get it home. And once I do, it's Kswap time!!

 

My hand-wavy feeling is that the AT in the Fit is pretty reliable. Have you confirmed that the AT fluid is at the proper level?

I suppose if they drove it with low/very old fluid for long enough to cause the problems described damage would have been done.

 

Thanks for your reply. Fluid level is a good idea. The way the transmission progressively got worse and worse it almost seems like it could have been loosing fluid until it finally became inoperable. I just asked them if they've checked fluid level, still waiting for a response.

 

This video was pretty interesting. He uses a multimeter on the battery and pulls fuses until he finds the affected circuit. There are several warnings in the video; I'd watch the whole thing if you're serious. I'd also double check that it's using the correct battery (151R) with clean terminals, etc. A new one is pretty cheap considering you're getting the car for free. That being said, if the transmission is slipping like that, I WOULD NOT CONSIDER THE CAR DRIVEABLE. I've changed the fluid in mine several times and it's almost easier than an oil change. Draining and refilling only replaces about 1/3 of the total fluid capacity, if I remember correctly. Maybe if you had a safe place to test it out after a fluid change? Probably not during rush hour... LMAO! Driving it low on fluid, with burned fluid and major damage? Out of my range. Good luck.

Transmission filter is behind the battery, if you have it all out. The front of the Fit is low; you won't be able to get a regular floor jack in without jack stands on the rear first.
DIY Transmission Fluid Change - Unofficial Honda FIT Forums
Noob ATF Drain/Fill + "flush" - Page 2 - Unofficial Honda FIT Forums
DIY Transmission Filter - Page 3 - Unofficial Honda FIT Forums

 

The "Noob" method that you linked to only adds 10-15 minutes and replaces all the fluid with new fluid.

 

He'll be fine.